If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Maheshwari Logistics' (NSE:MAHESHWARI) returns on capital, so let's have a look.
Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?
Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for Maheshwari Logistics, this is the formula:
Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)
0.20 = ₹562m ÷ (₹6.5b - ₹3.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2025).
Thus, Maheshwari Logistics has an ROCE of 20%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 12% earned by companies in a similar industry.
See our latest analysis for Maheshwari Logistics
Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for Maheshwari Logistics' ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating Maheshwari Logistics' past further, check out this free graph covering Maheshwari Logistics' past earnings, revenue and cash flow.
What Can We Tell From Maheshwari Logistics' ROCE Trend?
Maheshwari Logistics is displaying some positive trends. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 20%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 33% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Maheshwari Logistics thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.
On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. Effectively this means that suppliers or short-term creditors are now funding 57% of the business, which is more than it was five years ago. And with current liabilities at those levels, that's pretty high.
In Conclusion...
In summary, it's great to see that Maheshwari Logistics can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 40% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.
If you'd like to know more about Maheshwari Logistics, we've spotted 2 warning signs, and 1 of them is a bit concerning.
High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.
Valuation is complex, but we're here to simplify it.
Discover if Maheshwari Logistics might be undervalued or overvalued with our detailed analysis, featuring fair value estimates, potential risks, dividends, insider trades, and its financial condition.
Access Free AnalysisHave feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.